Ethiopian Journal of Governance and Development

SOCIAL EFFECTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE ROLE OF LOCAL INSTITUTIONS AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS IN PREVENTING THE PANDEMIC AMONG THE RURAL COMMUNITY IN SIDAMA REGIONAL STATE OF ETHIOPIA

2023-03-23T06:32:08+03:00

Covid-19 pandemic is an emerging health challenge, which abruptly constrained the socioeconomic settings of the global community. The rural communities within developing nations were among others that seriously affected by covid-19 pandemic due to their limited access for basic infrastructures and social services. Cognizant to these premises, this study was conducted to assess the social impacts of covid-19 pandemic and the roles of local institutions in preventing the pandemic among the rural communities within Sidama Regional State of Ethiopia. Consequently, the study has aimed to assess perceived and actual awareness of the community about covid-19 pandemic symptoms, transmission and prevention mechanisms, to examine covid-19 pandemic prevention practices of the community, to investigate the roles of local institutions on covid-19 prevention and to analyze the social effects of covid-19 pandemic on the rural community. Descriptive, cross-sectional household survey design with a mixed research approach has been applied in the study. Both primary and secondary data sources were consulted using survey questionnaire, key informant in-depth-interview and personal observation as well as document reviewing techniques. Three sample woredas (Hawassa Zuriya, Dale and Boricha) were purposefully selected from Sidama regional state due to their geographic proximity to the urban centers that are more likely exposed for covid-19 diffusion through the urban-rural public movements. Two sample kebeles from each woreda and a total of 384 household sample respondents were selected using simple random sampling technique. Moreover, concerned key informants were purposefully selected from various segments of the society based on their knowledge and proximity related to covid-19 prevention campaigns. Mixed method that combined both quantitative and qualitative techniques has been used for the data analysis. The finding of the study revealed low awareness level of the community about covid-19 pandemic symptoms, transmit ion and prevention mechanisms. The finding also discovered fair association between the awareness levels of the respondents’ vis-à-vis their application of covid-19 prevention measures. Subsequently, the finding implied low prevention practices where only 41.4 % of the respondents were using at least any one of covid-19 prevention mechanisms. Moreover, out of these covid-19 prevention user respondents, majority (61.9%) of them were using it irregularly, while only 38.4% of them were applying it frequently and regularly. Hence, irregularity of the prevention practices is found to be among the challenges in covid-19 prevention. Ingenious herbal medicine plants, local hot drinks and nutritious local food items were mainly used as covid-19 prevention mechanism in the study area. In addition, face mask, hand washing with water and soap, sanitizer, covering during cough and sneezing, keeping physical distance and avoidance of attending public gatherings were also rarely practiced by some of the respondents. The local institutions and Civic Society Organization (CSOs) were widely involved in covid-19 pandemic prevention practices in the study area. Awareness creation, supplying face-mask, sanitizer, soap, food and financial support, covid-19 test, counseling and guidance services etc. were among others provided by the local institutions. Concerning the social effects of covid-19 pandemic, the finding indicated that it created job lose, unemployment, income reduction, food shortage, social isolation, limited mobility, limited social service access like; schooling, health services, transportation etc. Moreover, psychological emotions like: stress, fearing, threat and anxiety due to deaths and fatal health problems of covid-19 were also found to be among the social effects. Hence, concerned local governmental organizations, NGOs and civic society organizations should continue and advance covid-19 awareness creation programs through various communication platforms. Moreover, the support and social roles of the indigenous local institutions should be further strengthened as a social safety-net and social capital in covid-19 prevention programs.

A UNIQUE INITIATIVE FOR INCLUSIVE DEMOCRACY: CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT OF YOUTH IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND POLICY FORMULATION

2023-06-26T11:25:57+03:00

Bedadka Grama Panchayat (GP), Kasaragod District, Kerala, India took up a unique and innovative step to formulate and finalize the Sports Policy for at the local level. The paper brings out an analysis of the innovative exercise made for ‘creative and critical engagement of youth in local governance’ as well as to ensure their active participation in policy formulation. This was done by conducting a ‘Virtual Gram Sabha’ through the social media platform, WhatsApp. Traditionally considered as an ‘elite process’, the policy formulation exercise at the grassroots by involving ‘common people’ that essentially excluded the non-residents of the locality is a paradigm shift towards realizing ‘inclusive democracy’. ‘Bedadka experience’ showed that creative engagement of youth in local governance is possible, feasible and practical. Such an exercise has the latent potential to be a 'game changer' loaded with the impetus for redrawing and redefining the conventional barriers of policy, governance and development.

Explaining distributive politics in road infrastructure in the Ethiopian ethnic-based federal system

2023-03-17T21:45:05+03:00

Most literature in federal systems took specific institutions and socio-cultural variables to justify distribution in road infrastructures. The regime base analysis, called the state-building process, has been adopted in this study due to the shortcomings in the above variables to explain the share of roads in constituent units in less democratic, developing federal countries. Building an ethnically arranged polity is challenging because of constitutionally supported strikingly competing political and economic interests. Centrally made strategic decisions whose goals have emphasized achieving accelerated economic growth and ensuring equity among regions were, however, responsible to guide the state-building trajectories in post-1991 Ethiopia. Evidence from the interview and secondary sources revealed that despite enhancing the economy, the strategies have not yet equitably built member regions. For example, regional governments did not realize the equitable size of one of the means of development, all-weather roads. This study recommends a different path of institutionalized state-building practices anchored on the negotiated decision of member regions of the Ethiopian federation.

AFRICAN UNION ‘AGENDA 2063’ IN VIEW OF PAN AFRICANISM: ASSESSING BOTTLENECKS OF ITS IMPLEMENTATION FROM ITS INCEPTION TO 2021

2023-03-17T22:08:59+03:00

Africa as a continent was under colonial rule for many years. Even after the decolonization of Africa in 1960s and beyond, the continent was under direct and indirect external influences. Due to this reason, the continent was not in a position to formulate and implement its own agenda to ensure its development and overcome deepening crisis and deep political and economic vulnerabilities. But interestingly this persistent situation has begun to change in the last couple of years. In the last two decades, the time has come for the continent as its leaders initiated a plan for the continent’s development to be owned and driven by the African people themselves. With a new enthusiasm for the very idea of ‘Pan-Africanism’, it was at the 24^th Ordinary Assembly of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa in January 2015, that member states of AU adopted the document, ‘Agenda 2063’, which was strongly hoped as a game changer for the continent. This article has overall goals and objective of critically assessing practical challenges that agenda 2063 has been facing during its implementation (2015-2021) period. Both primary and secondary sources have been used to complete this article. Primary data were generated from key informants. On the bases of the information gathered from secondary and primary sources, the agenda has been facing two major categories of challenges during its implementation period. Limited national and continental capacity, poverty, controversy over state sovereign and peace and security issues are internal or continental level challenges while, unbalanced north south relations and globalization, global terrorism network and international financial institutions, environmental challenges/climate change and outbreak of recent covid-19 pandemic are identified as the major external or global level challenges. Implementation of Agenda 2063 demands a lot from the African union to address key challenges. Addressing the challenges require concerted efforts at national, regional and continental level.

Decentralized Urban Land Management in Ethiopian Federal System: Case study of Ambo town

2023-03-17T22:44:15+03:00

In Ethiopia, after a long year’s institution of centralized government, decentralized form of government has been adopted since 1991 with different layers of government structures. It is widely accepted that urban land is a scarce natural resource that needs to be properly managed in order to optimize the benefits through minimizing environmental and social problems caused due to its mismanagement. One mechanism that helps to effectively and efficiently manage urban land is through the practice of decentralization of power to local governments. Based on this, this study tried to assess the effective management of urban land management under Ethiopian decentralized federal political system. Methodologically, the study used both qualitative and quantitative approach. The finding of this study shows that the current and past experiences have shown that urban land management system at the local government of Ethiopia is not development responsive. There are various factors which are cited in this work. It suggests that effective, democratic and efficient urban land management measures are required to bring sustainable socio-economic development of the towns otherwise recentralization of urban land management would be imperative.